Hi Lisa,

I found this question about Dublin with a lot of great answers. Perhaps you can directly message one of them and she'll have some recommendations for your trip as well.   

Best wishes,
Allison 

Posted Aug 24, 2011

Traveling with five people can be difficult if some of you have somewhat different interests in what you prefer to see and do.  If it's your first time to the Dublin area, in addition to all there is to do in the city, I would recommend that you visit the must-sees that everyone should visit at least once.  Drive down to Wicklow to Glendalough, and also to Powerscourt, allowing a couple hours in each place.  When you go up to Meath, you must visit Newgrange, especially if you have an interest in the art and culture of ancient Ireland.  I'm hoping that someone else will be able to recommend somewhere nice to stay that's convenient to music.  Many local pubs prefer American rock or country-western music, and it's not a given that you'll find wonderful traditional music just anywhere.  One place you can be sure to hear it, if you don't mind the ambiance being geared toward tourists, is at the Abbey Tavern in Howth, just north of Dublin.  It makes for a fun evening.

Posted Sep 02, 2011

Lisa,

if you're looking for tradtional music sessions, McHugh's and the Cobblestone are two places to check out. they are both in walking distance of Four Courts and Temple Bar (across the river from Temple Bar), and there are several upscale and not so upscale places to stay nearby. you might also consider The Celtic Lodge, near Busaras,  a decent hotel which has a pub attached with music now and again. also, do a search on Musiclee Dublin: Pau Lee presents  music, sometimes but not always trad, in several locations, and his website will list this. there's a musical instrument store right near the tourist information centre, too -- they might have some good suggestions for you or some flyers on upcoming events about.

as to what else to see in Dublin, not knowing your interests still I'd recommend the National Museum of Archaeology and the National Gallery of Ireland, both in city centre and both free. also speaking of music, two stores in the area which are well worth stopping in are Celtic Note and Claddagh Records.

Posted Sep 07, 2011